Perfect Connections, Inc - Central & Northern New Jersey Commercial & Home Security Systems
Connecting and Protecting What Matters Most
You will be receiving the March issue of The Connection e-Newsletter in your email shortly. Keep your eyes open for it because we announce our new customer referral program. Details coming here soon. If you aren’t on our mailing list, sign up on our home page.
Remember you can now pay your bill on line directly from our website.
If you are a monitoring customer of ours, keep your eye on your mail box for your monitoring verification form. Take a moment to make sure that all information we have on file is correct, as this is the only information that the central station has on file for you.
Pay particular attention to your premise phone number, especially if you cancelled your home phone and didn’t let us know. Also check to make sure that the phone numbers for all authorized individuals is correct. If someone is on the list who no longer lives in the area, delete them. If you would like to add someone else, write it in on the form.
Check your pass code to make sure it is correct. Lastly, please fill in your email address.
Also in the mailing is our latest newsletter, The Connection. You should receive yours in the next week or two. If you don’t, please let us know.
Alarm.com is one of the most exciting product offering to hit the security industry in a long time. Simply put, through Verizon 4G LTE, it connects your alarm to your computer, your smart phone, and the monitoring center. Not only are alarm signals sent, but now you can arm/disarm your system, get emails or text messages for virtually any alarm activity, and see a complete history anytime, anywhere from any internet enabled device. All this information is transmitted in seconds. Beyond security, you can control lights, thermostats and locks through alarm.com. If you have been putting off investing in an alarm system, now is the time. It is surprisingly affordable and while it does a terrific job protecting your home and family, can do so much more. Visit our website for more information.
At its most basic, a security system has two components, the initiation points and the control aspect. The initiation points are varied – door and window switches, motion detectors, glass break detectors, smoke and heat detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and many more. In short, anything that can initiate an alarm condition. The control aspect decides what to do when an initiation signal is received; sound the siren, contact the central monitoring station and perhaps send you and email about the activation. The control aspect also includes and an interface device such as a keypad to arm and disarm the system. Since we started installing alarm systems in 1992, both have changed dramatically.
How your alarm system receives those signals makes your alarm wireless or hard wired. In 1992, if at all possible, you would run a wire to a device and install a hard wired system. Back then the devices used alkaline batteries that didn’t last very long. Today lithium batteries are used giving up to 5 years of life expectancy. The wireless capabilities also were not as good and the security encryption was nothing like it is today. Today, most alarm systems installed are at least partially wireless.
If the control panel is the heart of the alarm system, the points of protection are the extremities. Start with protecting the vulnerable openings, the windows and doors. If they are opened while the alarm is armed, you want the system to go off. You should also consider glass break detectors in the event someone smashes glass to break in. Next you should have motion detectors to detect an intruder in case they get in via an unprotected area. Those are the basics of burglar detection but your alarm system can be so much more.
Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide detectors alert you and the authorities if there is a life safety risk. If you already have them you should still consider adding them to the system for the reporting capabilities and as a back up.
Other devices can be added as well. Water sensor detectors can alert you if the washing machine hoses burst, your sump pump stops working, or if your basement floods. Temperature sensors can alert you if the internal temperature of the house drops below a certain point. This is especially useful if you leave your home unattended for prolonged periods of time during the winter.
And now, with new technology, you can easily adjust the temperature on your thermostat using your alarm system and a smart phone or computer.
If your are thinking about having an alarm system installed or adding any devices to your existing system, please contact us.
For years, when meeting with people and discussing security systems, even when the entire perimeter of the home is protected, I have always recommended interior protection, most commonly motion detectors. When asked why, since the perimeter is already protected, I would say “in the unlikely event that someone breaks in through the wall” the alarm system would still be activated.
Well, this week it happened. A burglar gained access to a home through a first floor exterior wall. Fortunately, this customer had motion detectors and the alarm was activated and the police notified.
Perhaps you don’t have motion detectors included with your security system. Maybe you had a large dog at the time of installation or just were scared of false alarms. Now is the time to add them. Technology has improved dramatically and the instances of false alarms from properly installed motion detectors are rare. Motion detectors can be added to virtually every alarm system being used today and will make your alarm system more effective.
Motion detectors should not be used instead of perimeter protection, but should be a part of virtually every properly designed burglar alarm system. For more information, please contact us.
The Central Jersey Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (CJNARI) is looking for a community service project to perform this spring. Our professional remodelers, along with professionals from various trades are available for a 1 to 2 day project for someone in need. Projects can be indoors or out. If you know of someone in need and can use some help, please contact us or CJNARI . http://www.cjnari.org
In the old days (5 years ago), you would pick up your telephone and it would work, always. You didn’t need power, you didn’t need an internet connection, you didn’t have to rely on all the packets of information getting to where they have to go. Things have changed.
More and more people are cancelling telephone service with traditional phone companies and receiving service through their cable company or another provider. Cheaper, yes, but certainly not better for your alarm system.
The only problem you had to worry about in the past was someone tampering with your phone lines. Now, that is just the beginning. The internet is not as reliable as traditional phone service. 99% up time is over 3 1/2 days of down time a year. Doesn’t sound bad until you remember life safety is at stake. There are other problems as well. The way information packets are processed are not compatible with alarm systems and some providers. Worse yet, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t If the power goes out, no phone service. If someone cuts the cable wire, no phone service. We’ve all called the cable company for service in the past. Lets just say quick they are not.
There is a solution. Connect Wirelessly. Primary or backup communication from your alarm system to the central station can be accomplished via the cellular network for often less than the cost of a telephone line. The signal will get out if the power is down or somebody cuts the wires.
Contact us for more information.
You can now access and control your home or business alarm system simply by using your smart phone or IPad. Couldn’t be easier. Contact us for more information.
I was honored to be involved with 2010 Central Jersey Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (CJNARI) Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards. The event was at Maggiano’s in Bridgewater and we had a great turnout. CJNARI is an organization dedicated to education and ethics in the remodeling industry. This was our second event, and quite successful. The work our group does is terrific. www.cjnari.org
Dear Former HTHI Customers:
We are pleased to welcome all alarm and security customers of HTHI to Perfect Connections. Being a fully licensed NJ alarm company, your security is our business. We offer 24 hour service and you can always talk to the technician on duty. Our office hours are 8:30a – 5:00p Monday through Friday.
In the near future you will be receiving a informational packed from us. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to call.
Sincerely,
Patrick Chrustinsky
President
908-722-2880
